On 9 December 2022, Patria announced that the Japanese Ministry of Defense had selected the Patria AMV XP 8×8 for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) under their Wheeled Armoured Personnel Carrier (WAPC) programme. The company stated that the agreement includes domestically manufacturing the vehicles under licence in Japan. The Patria AMV XP is due to replace the legacy Type 96 8×8 APC presently in service with the JGSDF.
Patria did not provide estimates or figures for the total quantities, value, or timescale of the programme. However, according to The Military Balance 2020, the JGSDF operates 365 Type 96 APCs, giving a reasonable estimate of the quantity required if Japan opts to go for replacing their vehicles on a one-for-one basis, although this is by no means certain.
According to the Japanese MoD’s official statement on 9 December 2022, three models were originally downselected for testing in September 2019 – the Patria AMV XP, the GDLS LAV 6.0, and a domestically-developed prototype ‘Mobile Armoured Vehicle’ from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. According to the Japanese MoD, the GDLS LAV 6.0 was not delivered by the deadline of 30 March 2022, leaving Patria’s AMV XP to compete against Mitsubishi’s ‘Mobile Armoured Vehicle’, with the former being selected following a series of trials.
Patria commenced its efforts toward the securing the WAPC contract in 2018, and has since established a local subsidiary, Patria Japan Ltd., to support its activities in Japan. According to Patria, the next step in the programme is to conduct licence negotiations, which are due to start immediately.
MC
